As you may know, Rick Warren’s son, Matthew, committed suicide on April 5 after a long battle with mental illness. Anytime someone uses their personal pain to ease the pain of others, its a reason to celebrate and have hope.

My favorite part of this petition is that it includes church congregations. We all know the government and healthcare professionals need this wake-up call. This might just be the first time a major voice has specifically called on people of faith to act.

Earlier in the week, before evil struck the Boston Marathon, a friend of mine posted on Facebook that depression was a result of unresolved issues from the past, and that medication wasn’t the answer… or so I thought. She’d hit “post” before completing her thought. She’s a counselor and I never knew her to believe that, so I was glad when she added context and explained what she meant. There are times when medication is appropriate.

The heartbreaking part, however, was how many of her friends agreed with her original sentiments before hearing the rest.
Hopefully, if Rick speaks the truth, many more people will be willingto hear the message.

Julie Fidler

I am a Christian suffering from bipolar disorder. I know what it's like to deal with the stigma, the ignorance, and the rejection. I'm hoping that through this blog, I can help prevent someone else from having to go through the same thing. See my story here.